


The Demons we Hide From

by P_C



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-11
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2018-08-21 20:14:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8259235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/P_C/pseuds/P_C
Summary: Nick's friend Michael recently left the army after six years and is staying with Nick and Judy until he can get on his feet. However he brought some baggage along with him, will he be able to deal with it or will it be to much and if he can't deal what will the repercussions be.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I want to give fair warning that this story will be the farthest thing from my other story as it could be. It will be dealing with some very dark themes of PTSD and soldiers returning from war dealing with their demons. It won't be a long story as it will only deal with 2 months of my Maybe It Could Work timeline but it will still be very deep. Venture if you dare and please send the reviews.  
> As a bit of clarification this story parallels Maybe It Could Work, covering 2 months between chapters 13 and 14. Also this is not a one shot, it won't be as long as MICW maybe only 5-6 chapters.  
> There will be graphic flashback of firefights and such so again proved with caution.

_"_ _An open door, anywhere! Come on there's got to be one somewhere I can get in."_  Michael ran for all he was worth but door after door was closed and locked. Each of the mud buildings looking exactly the same, he was searching for a place to hide or just a way to separate him from the mammals chasing him down. He down another alleyway and leaned up against a wall for a second to catch his breath. He looked down to gauge how bad off he was, his rifle and armor shed a long time ago to allow him to run faster, his radio had also disappeared from all the running, at least he still had his pistol. If he needed to make a last stand at least he had something.

"He went this way, I know where he's going." Michael heard someone shout, and started running again as fast as his coyote legs would take him. Paws pounding into dirt, checking every door, until finally, one opened for him. Diving inside he slammed the door shut and looked around for something to block it with, seeing a small table he grabbed it and wedged it in place. Finally taking in his surrounds he saw the normal wall hangings and rugs on the floor, each of these  _homes_  were exactly the same. Each time he dreaded what he would find in them when they went patrolling. He thought he was safe until a sound behind him caused him to spin and take a fighting stance.

A small bunny was in a dark hallway further into the building,  _"Shit, I was hoping this place would be empty, but of course, someone is here."_ He placed a paw to his lips signaling her to be quiet but she didn't get it.

"What's going on?" The bunny spoke

 _"_ _Even better a female, but wait why can I understand her"_  He looked at the small bunny as she walked into the light and the sight put his stomach in knots. She was covered in bruises and cuts from the beatings she must have had to endure. It made him sick, every time they entered these places he saw what was done to these poor mammals; females and kits treated like they were just property for the males' enjoyment. This one looked like she'd had it particularly bad, he bent down in front of her not sure if she would understand him or not, "I was running and needed a place to hide. But now I'm going to take care of you."

The bunny looked at him and started to walk backward "What do you mean take care of me?"

Again he could understand her and it surprised him, over nine months in this hell hole and not being able to understand anyone and now this particular rabbit he could. Maybe that's why she was so beaten, maybe she was captured or sold to them from somewhere else. Either way it didn't matter, he'd had to turn a blind eye too many times but now he was going to help.

"I'm going to save you and get you out of here." She gave a perplexed look at him as he was about to speak again when he heard paw steps getting close. He grabbed the bunny and shot down the hallway she had come from ducking into a back bedroom. He slammed the door closed and locked it.

"We need to stay quiet, maybe they will go away. In case they don't I want you to hide and I'll take care of them." He pulled out his pistol and racked the slide back slightly, checking that a round was chambered. Satisfied he was ready he let the slide go home and took up a spot looking over the bed, gun ready at the door.

"Michael, what's going on?" He turned around to see the bunny giving him a concerned look and walking towards him.

 _"_ _How did she know my name, that's impossible!"_  He just stared at her wondering how she knew his name.

A pounding at the outside door brought his attention back to the door. His breathing had slowed down, he got his heart rate down as well, he aimed at the door ready to kill anyone who came through. A beep behind him shattered his concentration he spun around to see the bunny holding a phone in her paws. "PUT IT DOWN!"

She got a shocked look on her face, "I'm just trying to…"

"DOWN! Then kick it over to me. Don't make me say it again." He stood up and turned toward her pointing the gun in her direction, not right at her but enough to snap it at her if necessary.

The bunny knew better than to argue anymore and dropped the phone kicking at him. He looked down and the picture he saw made his blood begin to boil. Looking up to see the bunny in front of him then down at the phone. He moved with such speed it shocked the frightened bunny even more.

He had her by her small neck clutched in his paw pinning her to the wall, he could feel the rapid beating of her heart as he squeezed. "WHY DO YOU HAVE A PICTURE OF NICK!"

Judy clawed at Michael's paw trying to get him to release her, looking into his eyes she saw nothing but primal rage building in them. His paw was slowly crushing her throat making it harder to breath. The more she looked at him the more she realized the calm, sweet coyote that had been staying with them for the past two months was gone. Taken over by this crazed monster in front of her, crushing her against the wall of her room.

"Because… he's my… husband. Your best… friend."

"Don't talk like you knew him, he didn't have a wife! He was going to get married and then… then…" Michael shook his head trying to get rid of the image building in his mind.

"He's alive… Outside the door…"

"SHUT UP! I WATCHED HIM DIE!" He growled so loud it pained her ears when she abruptly felt herself fly through the air and slam into the bed. She tried to stand up but only managed to sit against the bed as the stars in her mind wouldn't allow her to do more. She heard to soft paw steps slowly move toward her, "Someone blew up an IED near him, I rushed to try and save him, putting bandage after bandage on his missing limbs but nothing helped. He died in my arms, I still haven't gotten all the blood out of my uniform. Now he'll never get to marry his girl back home, never get to raise a family and grow old." He stopped at Judy's phone and picked it up turning it on to see Nick smiling at whoever had taken the picture.

Looking at the picture then at Judy a sudden realization dawned on him, "It all makes sense now, why would some crazy bunny in this god forsaken place have a picture of him. Why would she know his name and mine." A loud crashing of the main door coming in snapped Judy's quivering ears to the sound. "You planned this. You were the one who killed Nick. You lured me here by leaving your door unlocked and acting like a scared little bunny to bring me back here to a room with no exit." Judy's whole body started to shake as her nose twitched crazily.

The bedroom door started to get pounded on, "Open up! Michael you're home! You're not over there anymore! Please let us in!"

"You see? They want me to open the door so they can kill me, just like you killed Nick." Judy looked up, the soft eyes of Michael replaced by crazed slits of fire hardened hatred. His whole body was rock solid slowly moving up and down with each calm breath, his tail extended straight behind him like it was pointing. He raised the pistol, pointing it at her. Knowing further talk was useless and he was too far away for her to react she closed her eyes and began to think about Nick.

She knew she was about to die. Even though help was only a single wall away the door separating them was solid and locked. He also had the upper hand with the gun already pointed at her. She thought about the time they had already spent and all the moments she was about to miss with him. Would he be able to cope without her? What will happen to Michael when he finally snaps out of his nightmare and realizes what he's done?

The door started to buckle from the weight being thrown against it, "Yes they'll make it through shortly. But they won't be able to complete their plan," he cocked the hammer of the pistol back, "because all they'll find is two already dead mammals."

Tears fell from Judy's eyes as a loud lion's roar could be heard outside and the door smashing to splinters. Then the sound of the gun going off.


	2. Chapter 2

**Two Months earlier.**

“So Nick, how long is Michael going to be staying with us again?” Judy looked over at Nick as they drove to the train station.

“Only until he gets on his feet. He was in the army for six years and just got out last week. It may be a while for him to find a decent job so he can then get his own place.” Nick had told Michael he could stay as long as he needed, they were friends since the orphanage so he couldn't turn his back on him. “I’m warning you though his last deployment was a very rough one. He was the teams medic and they got into a lot of firefights and he lost several of his teammates.”

Judy looked over at Nick and saw he had lost his normal sly grin, he had no emotion on his face and she just couldn't read it. Lucky through all their adventures they had never lost someone at the precinct, the closest was during the trafficker case when Melvin was shot in the leg. She couldn't imagine what it was like to be the one to try and save lives but lose them.

“Is he okay? I’ve heard of mammals coming back from overseas and having problems coping, and to be the one responsible for trying to save mammals but failing. I can’t imagine the burden he carries.”

“He said he has it under control, but he still has episodes occasionally. We’ll just have to wait and see and assist him in finding help if he needs it.” Nick looked out the windshield at the train station seeing a light tan coyote with a green duffle bag slung over his shoulder. He started to wonder himself what kind of episodes he had, hopefully, they wouldn't be too bad.

Shaking his head he pulled the car up to him and hopped out smiling and running over to him. The wrapped their arms around each other slapping each other backs as they did. “It’s good to see you, Mike, damn have you’ve gotten buff.”

“You too little Nickie.” Nick groaned the nickname he disliked the most, “although I would've figured the police would've snapped you into better shape. Although the state you started at any improvement would be outstanding.”

Nick punched him in the shoulder, “Har har, very funny. Go ahead and throw you bag in the trunk, you hungry or do you want to go to the place first.”

“Food sounds good. I didn’t eat at all on the train, tried to sleep but couldn't.” Michael walked over to the car and threw his bag into the open trunk slamming it closed. He walked to the back and slid in settling down and buckling his seatbelt.

He looked around the car noticing its new interior until a voice brought his attention the front seat. There was a small gray and white rabbit, wearing a warm smile and holding out her paw, “Michale it’s good to finally meet you, Nick has told me a lot about you. I’m his wife Judy.”  Michael smiled and shook her paw firmly but gently, “Good to meet you to Judy and please call me Mike, all my friends do.”

Judy watched him closely during the handshake. From his soft comforting eyes, cool smile, and the way he held her paw in the shake he felt very comfortable around him. She thought he would have the rough exterior of a soldier but the coyote in front of her presented no signs he had ever been in the service. “Okay, Mike sounds good.”

Nick got into the car and started it up, he pulled onto the main drive heading to their favorite dinner, The Green Bean. Michael stared out the window watching the skyscrapers go by trying to remember what the city looked like six years ago when he left. Each one glinting in the sunlight causing him to squint, each blinding flash hurting his eyes. He tried to shut it out and closed his eyes rubbing them.

He opened them and suddenly his fur stood on end and his eyes started to dart around, watching each mammal they passed very closely. Each bag of trash or mailbox they passed by was locked in his vision for any signs of something being off. He reached for his hip, yes his pistol still there under his shirt. He then reached between his legs for his rifle, but it wasn't there. _“Shit! Where the fuck is my rifle.”_

“So Michael what are your plans now, any line of work interesting you.” Judy’s soft voice brought him back to the present.

“Umm, I really haven't thought of it yet. The army really only gave me one solid skill and in a city like this it won't give me much use.” Michael fixed his eyes on Judy as she looked at him. She noticed a brief sense of panic on his eyes but maybe it was just the light playing tricks.

“Well we could always use good instructors as the precinct, maybe we can talk to Bogo about bringing you in to give us some pointers.”

“We’ll see. Like I said I haven't thought of it too much and mostly want to relax right now and see where life takes me. By the way how long have you guy been married now?” Michale wanted to shift the subject off of him. He needed to relax, don't show anything outwardly, keep it all inside.

“Three months. So going to have to apologize now if we, uh, _bother_ you at times. Newlyweds and all that.” Nick’s trademark grin was plastered across his face and Judy’s ears shot bright red.

“Don't need to worry about that at all, I did do three deployments overseas and all. Living in the CHU’s over there you get used to hearing the guys beating off or hooking up with the few females on base.” The flat matter of fact way he spoke made the red creep into Judy’s face.

Nick laughed, “We’ll, in _that case_ , I guess we won't have to keep it down then. Hey, what's a CHU anyway?”

“Containerized Housing Unit, it’s what we lived in over there. Imagine a shipping container split into three rooms with two to four mammals living in each room. Luckily because of me being a medic and having extra gear I had a two mammal room. But the walls were paper thin and some of the females over there were screamers.”

This even made Nick blush a bit, but thankfully his red fur hid it pretty good as he pulled the car into the Green Bean. “Well Mike, here is Judy and my favorite place to grab a bite. They mostly have smoothies but also salads and the few fish dishes as well are pretty good.”

They all exited the car and walked in, the wait staff calling out greeting to the Nick and Judy. Everyone there knew them by their first name as they ate there several times a week. “Well, anything besides galley food is going to be gourmet so let's eat.”

They sat down and looked at the menu's, Nick and Judy sharing a bench with Michael sitting across from them. They ordered some food and smoothies and sat chatting aimlessly about nothing in particular. Nick would talk about the different cases they had done or were working on, Judy would pipe in about her time in Bunnyburrow and meeting Nick. Michael just sat listening taking in their adventures not wanting to dive too much into his time in the army, at least not yet. He already told Nick about losing some of his brothers but he didn't see a need to dive into the gory details on their first meeting in six years.

After they ate they headed to the condo, Michael commenting the whole way about how good the food was and how he could see himself eating there every day. Getting up to the condo he was blown away by the place, sharing a room with three other mammals for six years makes you really appreciate having space to yourself. They showed him his room and went to put on a movie inviting him to join them, “I'm fairly tired with not getting sleep on the train. I may take a small nap then go do some exploring in the area.”

“Sounds good Mike, rest easy,” Nick said closing the door.

Michael placed his bag on the floor and threw himself on the bed. “Wow so comfortable, much better than those damn army cots.” Sleep found him quickly, however, it was not a restless sleep.

* * *

“SHIT, I can't see!.”

“Just hold the wheel steady and gas it, don't sit on the X remember you damn training solder.”

_CRUNCH, the sound of metal on metal echoed in the vehicle._

Michael felt his body get thrown into the steering wheel as the HUMVEE crashed into something, he knew it was the vehicle in front of him but he kept his paw down. As much as he didn't want to admit it he knew no-one was left alive in it, not after that explosion. Finally pushing through the smoke and dust Michael could see the road ahead and buildings lining him, eyes scanning everywhere.

“CONTACT HIGH!”

The fifty cal started firing sending hot brass down the windshield and making hearing nearly impossible. Up ahead a pickup truck pulled out of an alleyway and turned toward them picking up speed. “Sir, contact front! Possible VBIED!”

“Brian take it out!” The badger in the turret spun his gun forward and fired. The trucks windshield exploded with the impact of the rounds and suddenly turned into a building next to it and flipped over sending fifty-gallon barrels rolling into the street with some kind of cord attached to them.

“Turn Mike turn!” The fox lieutenant screamed at Michael.

He turned the wheel down another street just as the barrels detonated shattering the window door window sending glass into the compartment cutting Michaels face. With blood dripping into his left eye he looked into the side mirrors to see if any other vehicles were following his heart sank when he saw nothing. No one was chasing them, not even the other two vehicles in the convoy.

“Sir, where are the other trucks? We’re all alone here.”

The fox punched at the computer screen in front of him, “I don't see them on BFT at all, we’re the only ones in the area.”

“Your fucking kidding me, where are they!”

“Mike you saw that explosion, it was an ambush. They knew we would be coming down that road and tried to box us in. Just punch the damn gas and let's get… RPG!”

Michael saw it late, he tried to swerve but the rocket hit the front right of the truck blowing the wheel completely off. The speed they were going combined with the loss of the wheel and sharp turn dug the front end into the ground flipping the truck over. “Brain get in!” Michael and the fox grabbed at the legs of the gunner and pulled just as the roof collided with the ground and their world went dark.

Michael’s ears were ringing, every part of his body ached. His left eye stung from the blood and dirt, taking a paw he wiped at it to clear his vision. He realized he was upside down and smoke was filling the vehicle. He went to unbuckle his seatbelt but the steering wheel pressing on his chest prevented his left arm from reaching it. He tried to move his right arm to unbuckle when he realized he was holding onto something, turning his head to see what it was as a scream escaped his muzzle.

* * *

“BRIAN!” Michael was screaming.

The door busted open as Nick came running in hitting the light switch. “Mike are you okay!?”

Michael looked around in confusion. He wasn't in the smokey Humvee, he was on the floor next to the bed he had been sleeping in is right paw clutching the comforter with all his might. Looking up he saw the worry in Nicks' eyes as he kneeled down next to his friend.

“Mike what happened?” Nick put a paw on Michaels' shoulder, his entire body was shaking and tears were streaming down his face.

“Just a nightmare, Nick.” He was trying his best to stop the tears and get his breathing under control.

Nick reached over to Michaels paw and slowly pried it open, his tan knuckles had turned white with how hard he had gripped it. “Mike, that wasn't a nightmare. You were remembering something weren't you.”

“Nick I don't want to talk about it right now. I don't want to burden you with my problems.” Michael looked down at the floor, his breathing was under control but the tears still came from his eyes.

“Mike, you won't be burdening me. I’m here for you, I always will be.” He tried to pull him in but was pushed away.

“Nick right now just let me be, I’m going to go for a run and clear my mind.” He got up and pushed past Nick but stopped when he saw Judy standing in the door.

“Mike, I don't know you very well yet but we are both here for you.” She walked forward and took his paw in hers. “When you are ready we will be here to listen to you.” She let go of his paw and stepped to the side.

Michael looked at Judy for a while before grabbing his phone and walking out the door. He just needed to get away, exercise always helped him to clear his mind when the nightmares came. He left the lobby, picked a direction and ran for all he was worth.

Nick was on the balcony watching Michael far below disappear around the corner of a building. Judy came up and wrapped her paws around Nicks' waist, “He’ll talk when he wants to Nick. If we push him too much now he may never ask for help. He's hurting and trying his best to hide it.”

“I know Judy, I hate to see him like this. Growing up in the orphanage he was such a happy kit. Nothing got to him, but now. I want to help but I really don't know how.”

Judy worked her way around him not breaking the hug until she was standing in front and pulled him down so she could look into his eyes, “How about tomorrow we talk to the grief counselor at the percent and see what he suggests.”

Nick smiled pulling Judy in for a small kiss, “That sounds like a plan Carrots. For now, why don't we get back to the movie. Nothing we can do now.”

“That is a plan I can agree with, afterward maybe I can do something to take your mind off this.” She lightly nipped at his ear before walking back into the condo.

Nick stood up and looked out at the city one last time before following Judy inside.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael seeks assistance from precinct one's therapist, opening up more of the incident that has been plaguing his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, sorry for the hiatus on this story. I got busy writing my other stories, life caught up, and I just had a hard time coming back to this one. Again with the subject it's a bit of a difficult one for me to write but i feel its one to write.

"Holding onto the bloody stump of Brian's leg something… broke."

"Broke? What do you mean by that?"

Michael looked over at the bear sitting in the chair opposite of him. It had taken two weeks since the nightmare for Nick and Judy to finally convince him to seek help. The grief counselor at the precinct, Daniel, was more than willing to help out being former military himself.

"I mean something snapped inside. Even though I knew he was smashed under the Humvee, and dead, I wanted to get out and try to flip it to help him. I was being surrounded but I was going to kill every last one of them. I didn't care about myself anymore, I wanted to avenge my brothers who had been killed."

Daniel jotted down some notes as he listened to Michael and watched his body language as he spoke. As Michael talked about avenging his brothers his claws dug into the couch, his brow tightened, and he bit down hard on his bottom lip.

"I.. I didn't care at all what happened to me at that point. All I knew is my brothers were dead and I was going to be soon as well. If I just sat in the truck or if I fought, I knew I was going to die. I dropped Brian's leg and unbuckled my seat belt, smashing into the roof of the Humvee. I reached around and found my rifle, checking to make sure It wasn't to smashed up. I heard pounding on the door and figured this was it, they're coming to kill me. But then I heard a familiar voice as the door flew up and I saw the face of my LT, John, at least what wasn't covered in blood. He pulled me from the smokey Humvee and started yelling at me to get moving."

Michael paused and took a deep breath trying to calm himself. After a few moments, he continued, "We ran for the nearest cover which happened to just be an alley between the buildings. We moved quickly through it, watching each other backs as we sprinted across any openings just trying to get some distance between us and them. We finally found a run down building and took cover inside it. I looked over John and patched up the cut on his head. I knew we needed to move again, but..."

Daniel looked up from his notes as Michael paused again, he was taking a drink of water but his eyes weren't focused on anything. They look glossed over like someone who hadn't slept in days and his head was lightly shaking from side to side. He lightly cleared his throat bringing Michael back to the present.

Michael shook slightly and looked at Daniel, "Sorry, spaced out there for a second."

"It's alright. I deal with this a lot, I know what kind of toll this can take on a mammal." Daniel was trying to crack open Michaels tough exterior, to not much success.

"Frankly, you don't!" Michael was up and screaming at this point, "Were you ever responsible for everyone's safety, were you responsible for bringing back all you guys alive, did you ever have to look into the eyes of your brother and tell him everything was going to be alright when you knew he was going to die in your arms?"

"Your LT was still alive right, you got him patched up and moving again right?" Daniel was trying to calm him down when the glass went flying across the room and shattered against the wall.

Michael hung his head after tossing the glass, looking at his paws had turned white with how tight he had been squeezing them. He closed his eyes and relaxed, but upon opening them he saw the blood again. He held them in front of his face and examined them like you would a priceless possession, "Yeah I patched him up. Then I became the reason he died, right here in my own paws."

"Maybe we should stop for today." Daniel knew he needed to calm him down but was running out of ideas, "I don't want to push you too far if you're not ready yet."

Michael sat down not taking his eyes off his paws, "No. I've been holding this in for too long, I need to get it out." He looked up at Daniel who just slowly nodded. "We felt safe enough to hold up in that building for a while to recover. I don't know how long we were there though, maybe an hour or two but then I heard voices outside, or at least I thought I did. John said he didn't hear anything but I knew someone was out there looking for us, so I pushed to get moving again and he reluctantly agreed. We didn't even make it a few blocks before I regretted leaving that building, and I would lose another brother." Tears were starting to form in his eyes as all the emotions of that day pushed in on him. "We had turned down an alley when John told me to wait as he pressed forward and started looking at something on the ground. He turned to me and started to yell when the ground lifted up around him and he was thrown into the air with a deafening roar. The blast hit me hard enough to put me on my ass and knock the wind from my lungs. Sitting up, dazed, I looked around to try and find John and my heart went into my gut. He was lying on the ground a few feet from the crater missing both his legs and an arm, but still alive. I crawled over to him and threw my pack to the ground to apply tourniquets but he just grabbed my arm and shook his head."

Tears were openly flowing from Michale's eyes now, "He could barely speak, and even what came out was garbled with the blood he was spitting up. What I did get from him was to leave him, no way we were both making out alive if I had to carry him. All he would let me do was give him a fentanyl lollypop to ease the pain."

Daniel got up and placed his huge paw on the coyote's shoulder, "There was no way you could've known that an IED would be there and if you had stayed in that building there no guessing as to when you would have been found. You made the best call with the information you were presented. No one could fault you for that."

Michael wiped his eyes and looked up at the bear in front of him, "I fault myself. Maybe that's my problem, survivors guilt."

"That's why I'm here, to try and help other through these tough times. To answer your earlier question, no. I was never in any of those positions but my time in the sandbox, before I worked here, I saw plenty of the same stuff you did so I can help." Daniel's phone buzzed in his pocket as he removed his paw from Micahel, "I'm sorry but were are going to have to end here for today, I have another patient coming in shortly."

Michale looked at his watch and was a bit checked, "Wow its been two hours already? Its alright I have training to give anyway."

As Michael reached the door Daniel called out to him, "We should do this again next week and keep going until you feel fit to stop. However, my door will always be open and phone always on. Even if its to vent don't hesitate to call or come by." Michael just nodded as he walked out the door.

Daniel closed the door gently and sighed before walking back to his desk and sitting down. He picked up his phone and pulled up Nicks contact to send him a text, _"This is going to be more difficult then I expected."_

_"How so?"_

_"He has some deep seated demons he's dealing with, if we are not carful with how we approach this it could set off an episode he may not come back from."_

_"Just let me know what I can do, he's like a brother to me I'll do anything for him."_

_"Thats good to know Nick. Once I have a plan I'll let you know."_

He set the phone on his desk and looked out the large window over looking the city wondering how he was going to get Michael integrated back into society.

* * *

Shanon turned off the siren and hit the spotlight as she put the cruiser into park and picked up the radio, "Dispatch, car twenty, I stopped a ten thirty-eight in the seven hundred block of Vine, swerving in and out of traffic and no lights on."

"Copy car twenty, stay alert. We have had a lot of gang activity in that area. We'll send a backup unit."

"Understood dispatch, approaching now." She hung up the radio microphone and took a deep breath, "Okay Shanon. Just like any other stop, approach slowly but deliberately." Her paw touched the cold metal of the handle and opened the door, the warm humid air in stark contrast to the airconditioned cruiser. Her paws touched wet pavement and the door closing seemed to echo in her ears, she pulled herself to her full jaguar height and straightened her shirt before moving toward the car.

She was rehearsing the lines pounded into her head at the academy when a loud shot rang, the hit taking her breath away. She looked down and saw the red mark in the center of her chest as her whole body began to shake "wha.. what happened?" She fell to the ground, her back hitting the squad car as the other car door opened up.

"How does it feel to be dead." A tan coyote stood in front of her his eyes on fire and a gun in his right paw. She was completely stunned and looked back down at her chest the red now on her paw from where she touched the spot, bright crimson glistening in the headlights. "LIGHTS!"

The darkness gave way to blinding brightness as the overhead lights of the training center came to life. Shanon looked up and saw the coyote had a faint smile on his muzzle reaching his paw down to her. She took it and was quickly pulled to her paws, still shocked by how fast everything had happened. "You okay?"

"I think so, I just… don't… understand." She looked at her paws, they still had red on them and were shaking. Touching the mark on her vest, the red paint coming off on her paw was dull.

"You silhouetted yourself." She gave Michael a perplexed look, "They didn't teach that in the academy did they." Michael rolled his eyes and gave an exasperated sigh. "Go fucking figure, get into my car and I'll show you what I mean."

Shanon slid into his car still trying to rack her brain over how he was able to shoot her without her noticing him. Closing the door the sound of metal echoed around eerily, she winced at the sound. "Alright kill the lights again and Shanon, look back here once your eyes adjust."

The room was plunged in darkness except for the hard brightness from the spotlight on the squad car. After a few moments, Shanon looked out the window and saw the dark outright of Michael standing in front of the car. "You can clearly see my outright giving you a perfect target to aim for. However, I cant see or anything you point out the window because my shadow casts right at the driver side." Looking around Shanon did notice she was completely in shadow as was the entire side of the car. "That's why I was able to shoot without you even noticing I had leaned out of the car and pointed a gun at you. Bring the lights back up."

Shanon got out of the car as the lights came back up and the observers came down from an upper catwalk moving toward the cars. Michael turned to them all, "That is why when you stop someone, you want to position your car so they are at an angle. It gives you the ability to light up the entire vehicle while keeping you out of the light until you are right next to them. It gives you the advantage over your adversary." There were a few looks of confusion from the crowd. "Sorry I meant suspect, still getting used to the terminology."

"You'll pick it up soon enough," Bogo walked up towering over the coyote who held his ground looking the cape buffalo right in the eye. Bogo had to shake off a weird feeling not seeing any fear in his eyes, "I think you'll make a very good fit as a new instructor here. You have a lot of experience that my officers have not been exposed to. I look forward to seeing more of your lessons." He turned around to address the crowd, "As for the lot fo you, take what you learned here today and apply it to your upcoming shifts. Dismissed."

Mammals started heading in all directions as Michael walked over to his car before feeling a paw on his shoulder, he dipped down and away from the touch and spun around his paws instinctively raising ready to fight. Nick brought his own paws up wide and snapped his ears to his head in a show of submission. Michale shook his head and dropped his arms, "Sorry Nick, instinct still kicking in."

"Don't worry about it, I should have said something besides just grabbing your shoulder." Nick had his trademark grin but Michael could see the hurt and concern in his eyes. "I just wanted to see if you would like to go out for a drink. Judy and I just got off shift and I thought we could catch up some more."

"Sounds good Nick. Just shoot me the address and I'll be there." He got in his car and drove it to the bay door to bring him outside. He had to squint as the door rolled open, even with all the lights inside the sun was just in the right position to shine directly into Michale's eyes. He reached over to open the glove box and retrieve his sunglasses, upon opening it his eyes fell on the handgun. He grabbed it and slid it into his hip holster and put his sunglasses on.

Driving through the streets his eyes started to dart at everything and became suspicions, a group of mammals on a street corner, a broken down car, a bag of trash that he swore had a wire coming from it. He was stopped at a light when an accident behind him sent his mind spinning. The sound of crunching metal and glass shattering sent him back, no longer was he in the clean shiny city of Zootopia. He looked around and saw the billowing smoke and dust in the air, his mind immediately going into autopilot as he hit the gas. Horns blaring and wheels squealing as he shot through the intersection and down a side street.

His heart was pounding and paws gripping the wheel with all his might. Every movement and sound his mind registered and calculated if it was a threat or not. He was flying down the road when a truck pulled out from an alley blocking his path, he slammed the brakes causing the car to skid to a stop. The smell of burnt rubber filled the car as mammals walking on the sidewalks looked at Michael. His breathing slowed and the world came back into focus as he realized where he actually was.

A tapping at his window caused him to jump and reach for his waist, "Are you alright?"

Michael relaxed and rolled down his window to speak to the truck driver, "Sorry, I didn't see you pull out and was going a bit to fast."

"Well slow down then buddy, no need to rush around and kill someone."

"I'm sorry, and yes I will slow down." Michael tried to give a smile but the driver just shook his head and got back into his truck and drove off. Michael pulled over in a nearby parking spot and turned off the car. Closing his eyes and took several deep breaths, "Come on Mike, you can control this. Don't let the fear control you, your better than this!"

A ding of his phone caused him to open his eyes and look at it attached on the dash. It was from Nick giving the address to a local bar. "Okay, that should help calm me down. A nice drink with friends." He smiled to himself as he started the car and began driving to the location Nick sent him.


End file.
